Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday in Budapest, Hungary, that her speech at the opening ceremony of the 51st congress of Liberal International has successfully drawn attention to China's suppression and isolation of Taiwan.
"I believe that [after my speech] the world leaders at the congress will pay more attention to Taiwan's situation," Lu told reporters.
"They told me that they would think about how to improve relations with Taiwan after returning to their countries."
Lu stressed that the congress participants are some 600 high-profile liberal-democrats from 63 nations. Most of them are parliamentarians or leaders of political parties.
"The list of participants shows that representatives from 15 countries are top policy-making officials," Lu said.
The vice president said that the audience buzzed when she talked about how so many Western democratic countries had given in to China's bullying and restricted the freedom of Taiwan's leaders to travel abroad.
"My solemn condemnation met with huge applause from the audience, which brought me immense consolation. I hope this tearful protest can earn Taiwan some long-overdue justice from the international community," Lu said.
The congress had invited Lu to deliver a speech at its annual meeting in Ottawa last year, but the plan was thwarted due to the Canadian government's refusal to issue Lu a visa.
Lu said she didn't intend to lay blame, but hoped that the audience would give serious thought about international justice and ask themselves why countries which defend freedom and human rights would want to deal with an authoritarian Beijing regime.
"Are they simply hypnotized by their businesses' potential earnings in China, or are they hypocritical about the common values that we liberals stand for?" Lu asked.
Taiwan must be proactive, progressive and aggressive, and cannot be too conservative, if it wants to be a member of the international community, Lu said.
International fairness and justice lies in people's hearts, and Taiwan can "go all over the world with righteousness on its side," she said.
Taiwan must take the opportunity to make just appeals, winning recognition and support, so as to fight and break through China's international blockade and to raise the nation's international visibility, Lu said.
Lu denied that her address was meant to be provocative and raise cross-strait tension. She said she just wanted to focus on the issue at hand because Taiwan has long been treated in an insulting manner and lacks a sound international identity.
"I hope that the international community will do justice to Taiwan and fight for ROC leaders' freedom to travel abroad," Lu said.
The vice president hoped that other countries would be willing to follow Hungary's example of allowing Taiwanese officials to visit. "From now on, I will arrange for more foreign visits," Lu said.
"I hope the Beijing authorities can reconsider and accept the change [in the views] of the international community, which I refer to as `Taiwan's spring.'"
Lu and her delegation will arrive at CKS International Airport this morning.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique